A Year In Review

Midnight is approaching and so is 2012 on this December 31st.  It has been quite the busy year for me.  2011 started out calmly enough, but before the month was out, we got word that we would be coming to Guam.  So began six months of "Major Move Preparations".  Sorting, and packing, and throwing out, and attending to more details than I thought I'd have to, etc. etc. etc.  Then, the time to actually travel arrived.  I had always heard from others how long the plane trip would be, but it really wasn't until I had to experience it myself that I gained a fuller appreciation for long distance endurance.  It is a small world, until you get on a plane to fly to the other side of it!  (Well, at least our little family didn't have to sail from one side of the world to the other, otherwise this post would take on a different tone altogether.)

After  arriving on the island there was about a month of "down time" before our things arrived.  Then it was time to unpack and set up house.  That took a little while, and before I knew it, the beginning of the holiday season was nearly upon us as I looked ahead toward October.  Now here it is New Year's Eve and I reflect back on how quickly this year has flown by.  This time last year, I was looking forward to making 2011 the "Year of the Photograph" by making the time to organize and document family photos, and get them backed up on a hard disc.  Instead, the "Year of the Photograph" rapidly morphed into the "Year of Our Move to Guam".

I still look forward to the New Year as one that will afford me the opportunity to do what I had hoped to do in this year, as well as continue to write, and pursue other interests. 

May 2012 bring you good health, peace, love and happiness.  Skol.

Holiday Greeting

Christmas Eve is fully upon us here on Guam and in approximately 30 minutes, the sun will have set and we will walk around our neighborhood to look at the lights on all our neighbors houses.  Today's weather has been just about perfect:  mostly sunny with some light occasional showers with the high temperature in the 80's.  The wind was calm and so were the waves, making it a great day for scuba diving, which is exactly what my family and I did today.  A temporary power outage caused us to eat our rueben sandwiches (made by my son Eric) to be made on the grill, and we ate out on our back patio.  Can this day get any better?  After our family walk we'll have some egg nog and watch "It's a Wonderful Life".  It is a wonderful life (Merry Christmas Bedford Falls, and Guam, and wherever you live).  Life is made even better when we remember the event we are celebrating to begin with:  the birth of Jesus, our Savior.  May God bless you and keep you.  And by the way,  we wish you, unabashedly, a very Merry Christmas.

Say It Loud: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"Merry Christmas!"  That sentiment is freely spoken from one person to another on Guam whether between friends or strangers, in neighborhoods or businesses.  The wait staff in TGIFriday's write "Merry Christmas" on the check.  Few people seem to be worried about political correctness.  In fact, the closer we get to the holiday, the more people are saying the greeting with gusto, and that included two of Guam's Finest delivering a hearty "Merry Christmas" to my husband and me as we strolled along Skinner Park in Hagatna this evening.

Skinner Park.  This evening was the first time we visited the park after we ate dinner next door at TGIFriday's.  The sun had already set by the time we left the restaurant, and there it was...the park all lit up with Christmas lights and decorations.  We couldn't resist.  We strolled from one end of the park to the other taking it all in, and me snaping away with my iPhone photo app.  The atmosphere at the park was great, and so was the weather.  We wore short sleeves, no jacket required.  There was no rain.  There was no rush to see everything as then be on our way.  More and more people showed up with kids in tow.  It was just a great family-oriented atmosphere.  Guam police were present and glad to wish us a Merry Christmas. 

You don't see this everywhere:  at one end of Skinner Park is a lovely manger scene, next to which sits a sizable sign reading:  Merry Christmas from Gov. and Mrs. Calvo.  No concern for politcal correctness there.  Behind Skinner Park is the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica.  I took a couple of photos and I think they turned out pretty well, considering I only had an iPhone to work with. 

The spirit of Christmas seems to be everywhere on Guam.  Even the KFC restaurants are decorated with Christmas lights along the roof tops.  The only thing missing is snow, but you know, I really don't seem to mind the absence of cold weather.  It's great to be able to walk around in short-sleeves three days before Christmas.  On Christmas Eve I'll be scuba diving, or at least that morning, anyway.  Not something I ever thought I'd be doing, much less on the day before Christmas.  Guam is amazing.

Christmas at Skinner Park, Hagatna, Guam

Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica, Hagatna, Guam

Two-Wheel Carabao Sleigh?

Attend any Christmas party on Guam, or listen to the local radio station and you will probably hear the tune of Jingle Bells but with a very distinct Island twist.  Well, read the lyrics below and you'll see what I mean...

          Jungle Bells

Here we are on Guam,

Without a hope of snow,

But through the spreading palms,

A typhoon sure can blow.

Santa Clause will know,

What the tropics will allow,

Instead of riding eight reindeer,

He'll ride a carabao.

Chorus:

Oh, Jungle Bells,

Cocounut shells,

Sticker burrs all the way,

Oh what fun it is to ride

In a two-wheeled carabao sleigh.

Be watchful everyone,

He'll send a telegram,

That today he'll be on Guam,

Sent out by Uncle Sam.

Santa will be here.

To see what you have done,

So let's all greet him.

Ha!  Ha!  Ha!

And join him in the fun.

Gotta love it!

December 8th

Just as the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Japanese Navy on December 7th, 1941 is remembered, so on Guam December 8th, 1941 is remembered.  The Japanese also attacked Guam on that day, just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Here is a YouTube video that I'd like to share with you.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas, Part 2

These pictures were taken at the Hotel Nikko in Tumon Saturday night.  I only had my iPhone 4 with me, so the picture quality is not as good as if I had had my Canon Rebel XL that night.  Still, [sing] Deck the Halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la la....